The Daniel Prayer Study Guide Look Inside

THE DANIEL PRAYER

STUDY GUIDE + STREAMING VIDEO

Books by Anne Graham Lotz

Jesus

Followers

Jesus In Me

The Daniel Prayer: Prayer That Moves Heaven and Changes Nations

Wounded by God’s People: Discovering How God’s Love Heals Our Hearts

Expecting to See Jesus: A Wake-Up Call for God’s People

The Magnificent Obsession: Embracing the God-Filled Life

God’s Story

Just Give Me Jesus

Pursuing More of Jesus

Why? Trusting God When You Don’t Understand

Heaven: My Father’s House (revised)

The Vision of His Glory: Finding Hope in the Revelation of Jesus Christ

Video

Bible

Studies

by Anne Graham Lotz

Jesus Followers (Study Guide + Streaming Video and DVD)

Jesus In Me (Study Guide + Streaming Video and DVD)

The Daniel Prayer (Study Guide + Streaming Video and DVD)

Expecting to See Jesus (Study Guide and DVD)

The Magnificent Obsession (Study Guide and DVD)

God’s Story (Study Guide and DVD)

Pursuing More of Jesus (Study Guide and DVD)

Heaven (Curriculum DVD and Children’s DVD)

The Vision of His Glory (Study Guide and DVD)

For more resources by Anne Graham Lotz visit www.AnneGrahamLotz.org

THE DANIEL PRAYER

PRAYER THAT MOVES HEAVEN AND CHANGES NATIONS

STUDY GUIDE + STREAMING VIDEO

SIX SESSIONS

ANNE GRAHAM LOTZ

The Daniel Prayer Study Guide

Copyright © 2017 by Anne Graham Lotz

Published in Grand Rapids, Michigan, by HarperChristian Resources. HarperChristian Resources is a registered trademark of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.

Requests for information should be addressed to customercare@harpercollins.com.

ISBN 978-0-310-14632-2 (softcover

ISBN 978-0-310-14633-9 (ebook)

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.TM Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.®

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Cover design: Studio Gearbox

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Interior design: CrosslinCreative.net

First Printing February 2017 / Printed in the United States of America

ABOUT ANNE GRAHAM LOTZ

Called “the best preacher in the family” by her father, Billy Graham, Anne Graham Lotz speaks around the globe with the wisdom and authority of years spent studying God’s Word.

The New York Times named Anne one of the five most influential evangelists of her generation. She’s been profiled on 60 Minutes and has appeared on TV programs such as Larry King Live, The Today Show, and Hannity Live. Her Just Give Me Jesus revivals have been held in more than thirty cities in twelve different countries, to hundreds of thousands of attendees.

Whether a delegate to Davos’ Economic Forum, a commentator to the Washington Post, or a groundbreaking speaker on platforms throughout the world, Anne’s aim is clear—to bring revival to the hearts of God’s people. And her message is consistent—calling people into a personal relationship with God through His Word and through prayer.

In May 2016, Anne was named the Chairperson of the National Day of Prayer Task Force, a position held by only two other women, Shirley Dobson and Vonette Bright, since its inception in 1952.

Anne is a bestselling and award-winning author. Her most recent releases are Jesus Followers, The Light of His Presence, Jesus in Me, The Daniel Prayer, Wounded by God’s People, Fixing My Eyes on Jesus, Expecting to See Jesus, and her first children’s book, Heaven: God’s Promise for Me.

Anne and her late husband, Danny Lotz, have three grown children and three grandchildren. She is the founder and president of AnGeL Ministries, an independent, non-profit organization based in Raleigh, North Carolina, that is committed to giving out messages of biblical exposition so God’s Word is personal and relevant to ordinary people.

The ministry’s name is derived from the initials of Anne Graham Lotz (AGL) and is especially fitting, as angels are messengers of God who go wherever He sends, speak to whomever He directs, and faithfully deliver His Word. AnGeL Ministries serves as the umbrella organization for the diverse ministry of Anne Graham Lotz—including her many books, DVDs, CDs, speaking engagements, and special events.

To learn more about Anne and AnGeL Ministries, visit www.annegrahamlotz.org

PREFACE

Do you ever long for a more effective prayer life? Have you ever become so discouraged that you wanted to give up even trying? I have!

I’m reminded of an old CD player I once had. Its carousel would take five CDs at a time. One day when I loaded it, it refused to play the CDs. When I pushed the button for it to eject them, nothing happened. So I banged and pried on the little door, but to no avail. I took it to the shop, and the technician said he would have it fixed in three days. When I went back to get it, the man said, “Mrs. Lotz, I’m sorry. I couldn’t get it to work. I did break it open to get your CDs out, but the player won’t work.” So I threw it away.

When something doesn’t fulfill its purpose, it’s useless. Is that how you have come to feel about prayer? If so, I’m glad you have joined this Bible study! Because I, too, have struggled with prayer. In fact, it’s been the biggest fight in my Christian walk. I have constantly seemed to struggle with concentration, content, and consistency. And that’s the primary reason the Daniel Prayer has taught me and blessed me and encouraged me and inspired me and motivated me to pray as Daniel prayed!

One key to praying like Daniel is to pray in response to God’s Word. It’s called “reversed thunder”—praying God’s Word back to Him. So I always take my Bible into my prayer time, listening for God’s voice to speak to me as I read it. Then I speak . . . or pray . . . back to Him regarding what He has said.

Does this bring up another issue for you? Do you find yourself wishing that God would speak audibly to you like He did with people in the Bible? He spoke to the prophets, the priests, the kings, the elderly, the apostles, the early church, and even to young children like little Samuel. Sometimes, He spoke to the enemies of His people. But whenever He spoke, His voice was so clear to the person listening that there was no mistaking what He had said. How can you hear God’s voice today?

While God can speak any way He chooses, He speaks to me through His Word, as He did to Daniel in Daniel 9. In each of the six Bible study sessions, I’m going to lead you in a simple exercise that I use in order to listen to God’s voice, which is a springboard into prayer. Then, in each video segment, I will share insights God has given me on that week’s topic from Daniel’s prayer. Following the video, you will participate in a discussion with your group as you seek ways that Daniel’s story and effective prayer life applies to your own.

Commit now to spending time every day in God’s Word in order to discover relevant insights for your life that will then become the content for your prayers. This will make each week’s discussion time with your group more rewarding, and it will equip you to grow deeper in your faith and more effective in your own prayers. To help you do this, at the end of each session you will be asked to follow Daniel’s example by writing out your personal prayers to God.

My prayer for you is that by the end of this study, your own prayers will have become much more vibrant and so effective that Heaven is moved and your world and our nation are changed. For the glory of His great name! So . . . get ready to pray in a way you may never have prayed before. Get ready to pray as Daniel did!

ABOUT THE STUDY

This study guide is to be used with the video-based course The Daniel Prayer: Prayer That Moves Heaven and Changes Nations. As an integral part of the course, it provides a format for Bible study that serves as the basis for both small group use (Sunday school classes, women’s or men’s groups, home or neighborhood studies, one-onone discipleship) and individual use. This guide will lead you through a series of questions that will enable you to not only discover for yourself the eternal truths revealed by God in the Bible but also to hear God speaking personally to you through His Word. You will then be prepared to participate in a meaningful time of study and discussion with members of your small group.

INDIVIDUAL STUDY

The course begins with a Bible study workshop. After participating in the workshop, you will be familiar with an approach to Bible study that will challenge you to hear and apply God’s Word as never before. Beginning in session 2, you will find several portions of Scripture reading to help you apply this method during the course.

Note: Each session will require approximately sixty minutes of group meeting time to review the Pre-session Bible study readings, watch the video, discuss the content, and complete the “Choices” exercise. A Simplified and Abbreviated Bible Study plan has been included on pages 115–146 for groups with more limited meeting time, such as in a workplace lunchtime setting.

It is important to complete each Scripture portion before your next session, as this will make the video presentation more meaningful to you during the small group time. Note that effective daily Bible study will occur if you:

• Set aside a regular place for private devotions.

• Set aside a regular time for private devotions.

• Pr ay before beginning the day’s assignment, asking God to speak to you through His Word.

• Wr ite out your answers for each step in sequence.

• Ma ke the time to be still and listen, reflecting thoughtfully on your response in the final step.

• Don’t rush—it may take time in prayerful meditation on a given passage to discover meaningful lessons and hear God speaking to you.

Spiritual discipline is an essential part of your ability to grow in your relationship with God through knowledge and understanding of His Word. So take your individual study seriously and allow God to speak to you from His Word.

GROUP STUDY

In session 1 of The Daniel Prayer, you will watch the video workshop and be introduced to this Bible study method. You will be given a passage of Scripture during the workshop to study to help you better understand this approach. At the start of each subsequent session, you will be given some time to share insights from your weekly reading before you and your group watch the video portion. (Note that if your group meets less frequently than once a week, you may want to extend your study time for each passage.)

Space is provided for you to take notes during the video presentation. After the message, you will then have time to discuss the key concepts with your small group using the questions in this guide. (Note that even though there are a number of questions listed for your small group to discuss, you don’t need to use them all.

Your leader will focus on the ones that resonate most with your group and guide you from there.)

VIDEO SESSION ACCESS

Streaming video access is included with this study guide. There are streaming video access instructions on how to access all of the video sessions on the inside front cover of this study guide.

Simply go to studygateway.com/redeem to set up your account and enter your access code to add this study to your new Bible study library. Each time you wish to view a video, simply log in to studygateway.com/login and click on the session or study you wish to view. All of your HarperChristian Resources Bible studies with streaming access will be added to your library as you do more studies and redeem the appropriate codes.

INDIVIDUAL COMMITMENT

At the end of the second session, you will be asked to make specific choices as it relates to praying the Daniel Prayer. In subsequent sessions, you will be asked to update your previous choices as you apply any new insights from the current lesson. At the conclusion of the study, you will be encouraged to review these choices as building blocks that have helped you grow in your faith. Your choices will help you develop your personal relationship with God and give you an increasingly richer and more meaningful prayer life.

Remember that the real growth in this study will happen during your quiet times with God during the week. During the group times, you will have the opportunity to process what you have learned with the other members, ask questions, and learn from them as you listen to what God is doing in their lives. In addition, keep in mind that the videos, discussions, and activities in this study are simply

meant to sharpen your focus so that you are not only open to what God wants you to hear but also know how to apply that to your life.

Note: If you are the facilitator for the group, there are additional instructions and resources provided in the facilitator’s guide included in the back of this guide. This separate guide will help you structure your meeting time, facilitate discussion times, and help you lead group members through the key points of the study.

SESSION 2

PREPARING FOR PRAYER

Just as an athlete can’t expect to win by showing up at game time without having practiced, the commitment to pray doesn’t just happen. It requires preparation.

Anne Graham Lotz

When we first meet Daniel, we find that he and his people (the Israelites living in Judah) were in trouble. After years of warnings from God to turn from their wicked ways, judgment had finally come upon them in the form of a foreign invading force. “In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it” (Daniel 1:1). In a relatively short period of time, Judah was erased from the map. She no longer existed as she had for more than 500 years. She was a people and a nation in exile.

Daniel was approximately fifteen years of age when he was captured by the Babylonians, taken from his homeland, and transported 800 miles away to serve as a slave in the king’s court. In a moment, everything about Daniel’s life changed: his culture, his customs, his language, his clothes, and his name. Because his immediate superior was chief of the eunuchs, he may also have been cruelly stripped of his masculinity to make him more subservient to his new master. His situation must have seemed utterly hopeless to him—because, in every obvious way, it was. Yet through it all, Daniel maintained his faith in God and his devotion to Him.

We see this most clearly in the way that Daniel made prayer the center of his life. He never forgot the temple that had been at the heart of Jerusalem and of the nation. Even later in his life, he remained mindful of the sacrifices that had been offered to God there as an act of worship. He longed for Jerusalem every day, as evidenced by the fact that three times daily, when he prayed, he turned his face in the direction of his beloved city that once had been.

Daniel had to make a choice after his circumstances so drastically changed. He could have chosen to be bitter against God. He could have chosen to turn his back on his people. He could have chosen to just compromise with his new culture. But instead, he turned to God and sought to change his people’s situation through fervent prayer.

On one occasion, we overhear him pleading with God on behalf of his nation. Ultimately, God answered by moving a ruler named Cyrus to issue a decree that

after seventy years of captivity, every Jew living in Babylon could return home. Just think about this. What kind of prayer—offered by one person—could move Heaven and change nations? What was needed for Daniel to be able to pray in that way? What can we learn from his example?

One of the first lessons we learn is that kind of prayer requires preparation. The kind of preparation Jesus taught His disciples in Matthew 6.

PRE-SESSION BIBLE STUDY

Begin this week by reading Matthew 6:5–18, and then work through each of the personal Bible studies using the steps you learned in the workshop. You will review the lessons and personal applications during your group session and then watch the teaching from Anne, which points out the application in Daniel’s life of the principles Jesus taught.

STEP 1

Read God’s Word

Passage: Matthew 6:5

5 “And when you pray, do not be like t he hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.”

STEP 2

What Does God’s Word Say? (List the facts.)

STEP 3

What Does God’s Word Mean?

(Learn the lessons.)

How Will I Respond to God’s Word? (Live it out!)

STEP 4

What Does God’s Word Mean in My Life? (Listen to His voice.)

STEP 5

Name:

Date:

STEP 1

Read God’s Word

Passage: Matthew 6:6

6 “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

STEP 2

What Does God’s Word Say? (List the facts.)

STEP 3

What Does God’s Word Mean?

(Learn the lessons.)

How Will I Respond to God’s Word? (Live it out!)

STEP 4

What Does God’s Word Mean in My Life? (Listen to His voice.)

STEP 5

Name:

Date:

STEP 1

Read God’s Word

Passage: Matthew 6:7–8

7 “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.

8 “Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

STEP 2

What Does God’s Word Say? (List the facts.)

STEP 3

What Does God’s Word Mean?

(Learn the lessons.)

How Will I Respond to God’s Word? (Live it out!)

Name:

STEP 4

What Does God’s Word Mean in My Life? (Listen to His voice.)

STEP 5

Date:

STEP 1

Read God’s Word

Passage: Matthew 6:9–13

9 “This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,

10 “ ‘your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

11 “ ‘Give us today our daily bread.

12 “ ‘Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13 “ ‘And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ ”

STEP 2

What Does God’s Word Say? (List the facts.)

STEP 3

What Does God’s Word Mean?

(Learn the lessons.)

How Will I Respond to God’s Word? (Live it out!)

STEP 4

What Does God’s Word Mean in My Life? (Listen to His voice.)

STEP 5

Name:

Date:

STEP 1

Read God’s Word

Passage: Matthew 6:14–18

14 “For if you forgive men when they sin a gainst you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

15 “But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

16 “When you fast, do not look somber as t he hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.

17 “But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face,

18 “so that it will not be obvious to men t hat you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

STEP 2

What Does God’s Word Say? (List the facts.)

STEP 3

What Does God’s Word Mean?

(Learn the lessons.)

How Will I Respond to God’s Word? (Live it out!)

STEP 4

What Does God’s Word Mean in My Life? (Listen to His voice.)

STEP 5

Name:

Date:

WATCH VIDEO SESSION 2—

Preparing for Prayer

Watch video streaming or on DVD.

Use this space to take notes if you like:

GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Open your group discussion sharing something in the video teaching that was either striking or was new to you altogether.

1. Wh at is the “Daniel Prayer”? How is it different from other kinds of prayer?

2. Wh at is the best place for you to meet God each day in prayer? Share your ideas, settle on the best one for you, and commit to do it.

3. What is the best time for you to set aside for prayer?

4 How can you create an atmosphere that is more conducive for prayer?

5. Wh at are some ways you can cultivate an attitude of gratitude when you come to God in prayer?

CHOICES

This week, you studied Matthew 6:5–18 and learned what Jesus teaches about preparing for prayer. Think back on how you responded to this passage of Scripture (step 5 in your daily studies). Write down some areas you need to work on to better prepare your heart to pray as Daniel did.

 What I will do to prepare for prayer . . .

WRAPPING UP

Some 700 years before the conquest of Judah, King Solomon had prayed, “When [the people] sin against you . . . and you become angry with them and give them over to the enemy . . . and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their enemies who took them captive, and pray to you toward the land you gave their fathers . . . then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their plea” (1 Kings 8:46, 48–49). Daniel had followed this practice of praying toward Jerusalem during his captivity, and he did not alter it even in the face of death. Why was he so committed to this practice?

Three times a day, when Daniel went to his designated place for prayer, he opened his windows toward Jerusalem. The poignant gesture revealed not only the longing in his heart for his city and his people, but also his exclusive focus on the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The God of his fathers. The God who had been with him throughout his lifetime, for over eighty years. The one, true, living God whom Daniel worshiped and served and obeyed.

—Anne Graham Lotz, The Daniel Prayer, page 38

Daniel had cultivated a lifetime habit of prayer and was unwilling to compromise even the smallest detail in his worship to the Lord. Even though he was in captivity and under constant threat, three times a day—without fail—he expressed his thankfulness to God. Today, as you prepare to move forward, consider what it would look like for you to cultivate such an attitude toward God. On the lines provided, write out your own heart-prayer to God, expressing your gratitude to Him in spite of whatever challenges or trials you are facing.

MY PRAYER

MOVING FORWARD

For the next session, you will be assigned 2 Chronicles 6:40–7:22 to study using the approach you learned in the Bible study workshop. Make sure to complete the worksheets on pages 46–55 before your next meeting. Once you take the first step of preparing a time, place, atmosphere, and attitude for prayer, you are ready for the next step. You must now consider what prompts you to pray the kind of heartfelt cry to God that Daniel prayed for others. We will examine this aspect of the Daniel Prayer in the next session.

YOUR PRAYERS CAN MOVE HEAVEN!

Do you ever feel your prayers are anemic? Hollow? Then this six-session video study (video streaming code included) is for you! Bestselling author Anne Graham Lotz looks at the life of Daniel and unpacks the prayer he prayed in Daniel 9. Unlike the everyday now-I-lay-me-down-to-sleep kind of prayer, this was a prayer birthed under heartache... grief... desperation. It was a plea for Heaven to move and change his nation.

For an entire generation, Daniel’s people had been held in captivity and separated from their homeland— and thus separated from God. But when Daniel read a prophecy in which God said He would restore His people to Jerusalem after seventy years, he claimed that promise and cried out to the Lord to bring it to pass. Daniel’s example of praying God’s Word back to Him is what Anne calls “reversed thunder.”

In this study, Anne explains how we, too, can reverse the thunder until Heaven is moved and our own worlds change. Following the pattern of Daniel’s original prayer, she helps us develop a more meaningful and powerful prayer life. As we learn how to storm the gates of Heaven and refuse to let go, we will see real change in the lives of not only those we are praying for, but also our own. Our prayers will become more effective as our faith is deepened and our personal relationship with God is strengthened.

Streaming Video Access Included*

Watch on any device

DVD also available, sold separately.

This study guide has everything you need for a full Bible study experience, including:

• The study guide itself—with video notes, personal study and group discussion sections, and a guide to best practices for leading a group.

• Individual access to stream all six video sessions online. (DVD also available separately)

This guide includes weekly Bible study readings, group activities, and space for writing your own prayers. It is ideal for use in small groups and Sunday school classes and includes a simplified Bible study track for more limited meeting time (such as a workplace lunchtime setting).

Sessions and video run times:

1. Bible Study Workshop (48:00)

2. Preparing for Prayer (17:00)

3. Prompting in Prayer (22:30)

4. Pleading in Prayer (25:00)

5. Prevailing in Prayer (18:00)

6. he Battle in Prayer (25:00)

Cover design: Studio Gearbox

Cover photo: Comstock / Getty Images®